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Description
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Second edition of the first three "Decades" on Portugal's Middle Eastern enterprises, all that was published during the lifetime of the author (a fourth volume was published posthumously in 1615; the set was continued by other hands). "This is considered by Du Fresnoy as being a good edition of the three first decades" (Clarke, The Progress of Maritime Discovery, p. 132). The writer de Barros (1496-1570), head agent for the Portuguese overseas trade authority "Casa da Índia", managed to persuade King João III to commission from him a history of the Portuguese in India (including Asia and southeast Africa). The result, published between 1552 and 1563, earned him renown as one of the first great Portuguese historians, and the the title of a "Portuguese Livy". The 'Decades' contain "the early history of the Portuguese in India and Asia and reveal careful study of Eastern historians and geographers, as well as of the records of his own country. They are distinguished by clearness of exposition and orderly arrangement. They are also lively accounts" (Enc. Britannica). Books 2 and 3 of the "Decada Segunda" (fols. 21 ff.) offer a detailed narrative of Alfonso de Albuquerque's expedition to the Arabian Sea and his conquest of Ormuz in 1507; the island remained under Portuese occupation from 1515 to 1622. As vassals of the Portuguese state, the Kingdom of Ormus jointly participated in the 1521 invasion of Bahrain that ended Jabrid rule of the Arabian Gulf archipelago. - Slight waterstaining throughout; t. p. of vol. 1 remargined (slight loss to border rules). Old ms. ownership to t. p. of vol. 3; stamp on t. p. of vol. 1; some contemp. notes at the end of the volume. Trimmed fairly closely at times, still, a good, uniformly bound set with handsome shelf appearance. Rare; last sold at Sotheby's 1998 auction, Main Heritage Shelves General, DS411.7 .B37 1628 vol. 3, Book, vol. 3, Item-ID: i22668500, BIB-ID: 1494589 |
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Coverage
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India, Portugal, Period of discoveries, 1385-1580, Africa, India, European settlements, 1500-1765, East Asia |
